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Bye Bye Miss American Pie: Pravda Chides Obama's Soviet Mistake

US President Barack Obama (R) listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting in Los Cabos on June 18, 2012 on the sidelines of the G20 summit. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

Pravda, Russia’s leading news publication, pointedly asserts that while Communism has failed miserably in their country, the recent U.S. presidential election demonstrates that it has scored a victory in America. A November editorial titled “Obama’s Soviet Mistake” observes that while Vladimir Putin’s re-election signified popular determination to keep the New World Order agenda out of Russia, President Obama’s did the opposite.

The commentary presents a very dim view of “the illiterate society” that voted to award Obama a second term, influenced by continuing “lies of less taxes while he raises them”, and “speeches of peace and love in the world as he promotes wars as he did in Egypt, Libya and Syria.” It goes on to say that Obama “plans his next war is with Iran as he fires or demotes his generals who get in the way.”

It’s ironic and annoying to be sanctimoniously lectured by Pravda regarding American militarism, particularly when Pravda offers an excerpt from a Putin speech to make a point that: “…instead of solving the problem, militarization pushes it to a deeper level. It draws away from the economy immense financial and material resources, which could have been used much more efficiently elsewhere.” The article continues its commentary: “Well, any normal individual understands that liberalism is a psychosis. O’bomber even keeps the war going along the Mexican border with projects like fast and furious, and there is no sign of ending it.”

Let’s face it… President Obama, or even Attorney General Eric Holder, isn’t responsible for the drug war in Mexico. And incidentally, former President George W. Bush isn’t either.

On the other hand, what ever happened to the president’s “restart” in improving U.S. relationships with Russia? Like when he started this by being caught during global nuclear summit talks in Seoul on camera with an open mike assuring Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have “more flexibility’ to deal with contentious issues like missile defense after the November election. Dutifully, Medvedev said he would relay the message to incoming Russian President Putin.

All that good will doesn’t seem to have bought us much gratitude. Just a couple of days after Christmas, Putin signed into law a ban on adoptions of Russian children by U.S. citizens, abrogating a bilateral agreement which went into force in the previous month. The ban was rushed through the Russian parliament after our Congress passed the Magnitsky Act, which prohibits Russian human-rights abusers from visiting or banking in the U.S.

Isn’t it remarkable now to see Pravda levying a charge that “He [Obama] is a Communist without question, promoting the Communist Manifesto without calling it so”? It observes: “How shrewd he is in America. His cult of personality mesmerizes those who cannot go beyond their ignorance. They will continue to follow him like those fools who still praise Lenin and Stalin in Russia. Obama’s fools and Stalin’s fools share the same drink of illusion.”

Reducing taxes on production, investing money in the economy and optimizing state expenses.

Avoiding excessive governmental interference into the economic life of the country and absolute faith in the all-mightiness of the state… expecting that the state can achieve better results.

Avoiding unreasonable expansion of the annual budget deficit and national debt, recognizing that both are as destructive as an adventurous stock market game.

Can you possibly believe that these pointers are drawn from speeches delivered by Vladimir Putin, rather than from fundamental lessons we would be much more likely expect to hear from Ronald Reagan?

Quoting Putin, “During the time of the Soviet Union the role of the state in economy was made absolute, which eventually lead to the total non-competitiveness of the economy. That lesson cost us dearly. I am sure no one would want history to repeat itself.” Yet the editorial opines that, “President Putin could never have imagined anyone so arrogant or so willing to destroy their people like Obama, much less seeing millions vote for someone like Obama.”

Incredulously, it asks, “They [we] read American history don’t they? Alas, the schools in the U.S. were conquered by the Communists long ago and history was revised, thus paving the way for their Communist presidents. Obama has bailed out those businesses that voted for him and increased the debt to over 16 trillion with an ever-increasing unemployment rate, especially among blacks and minorities. All the while, promoting his agenda.”

And the amazing Putin-quoting clincher: “We must seek support in the moral values that have ensured the progress of our civilization. Honesty and hard work, responsibility and faith in our strength are bound to bring us success.”

Really? Aren’t we supposed to know that? Do we have to be reminded of this by Putin and Pravda ?

Nor does it end there. Not by a long shot! The article states that “…the red, white and blue still flies happily, but only in Russia” where the symbol of St George defeating the Dragon cross appears on its flag. On the other hand, “…the ACLU and other atheist groups in America would never allow the U.S. flag with such religious symbols.” It notes “Lawsuits a plenty against religious freedom and expression in the Land of the Free. [where] Christianity in the U.S. is under attack as it was during the early period of the Soviet Union when religious symbols were against the law.”

Charitably, Pravda gives American voters the “benefit of doubt” in not entirely blaming President Obama’s re-election on voter fraud or the stupidity of continuing someone in office who refused Russian help offered in responding to the (Deep Horizon) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It also attributes some of that blame to a Communist tactic of using electronic voting to manipulate the results, claiming that “Soros and his ownership of the company that counts the U.S. votes in Spain helped put their puppet in power in the White House.”

Characterizing Americans as hostages to Communists in power, the Pravda article warns that after losing its civil war with the Reds, millions of Russians “suffered torture and death for almost 75 years under United Soviet Socialist Republic tyranny.” It then questions “…how long will the once “Land of the Free” remain the United Socialist States of America?”

The article concludes that our suffering has only begun, playing back lyrics taken from a 1971 hit song written by Don McLean: “And, as I watched him on the stage my hands were clenched in rage; No angel born in Hell could break that Satan’s spell; And as the flames climbed high into the night to the sacrificial rite, I saw…Satan laughing with delight the day the music died; He was singing, by bye Miss American Pie…”

Yeah, that’s really strong and painful stuff to be hearing from a leading news agency in a country renowned for epic corruption and headed by a dictatorial regime… the former “Evil Empire”, no less. If this is surprising and shocking to you, just try to imagine what Reagan’s immortal spirit must be thinking! After all, he had a big hand in influencing this Russian democratic free enterprise epiphany. Isn’t it a timely idea now to recognize and apply his sage principles here as well?

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Obama seems like a circus rider astride two horses – fascist Sorosianism and Muslim Brotherhood. Given that all our recent blood and treasure has been spent putting Sharia into effect everywhere we get involved.. Both are totalitarians with one world despotic rule in mind.

Like the Nazis and communists of the 1930′s, they will clash for dominance over the wreckage of the economies they destroyed.

Here we have the greatest governing model every endowed on mankind – the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, yet we avoid selling the concept, instead supporting anarchy, even refusing to help when real patriots are trying to save their countries.

Funny, both competing forces exude the spirit of antichrist. – even killing, thinking they are serving God.

Putin is ticked off that Libya’s weapons are now being funneled through Turkey and into Syria by the Muslim Brotherhood in an attempt to overthrow Bashar al-Assad. Assad is Putin’s boy, and Putin is not pleased that the CIA is arming the Muslim Brotherhood. And that is why the Putin alludes to the Benghazi cover-up with “…(Obama) plans his next war is with Iran as he fires or demotes his generals who get in the way.”

Thank you for unearthing this story. How did the US press manage to completely overlook it? This describes PRECISELY what is wrong with this administration, and what could it be more poignant than such clarity come from Pravda.

IF ONLY THE REPUBLICANS UNDERSTOOD WHAT IS TAKING PLACE HALF AS CLEARLY AS THE RUSSIAN PRESS!!!!

Oh that this piece were but a bit of New Year’s satire as I absolutely cannot believe that you would write this with any degree of seriousness.

I think I can simply sum up my perspective by highlighting a few more of the most popular articles currently running in Pravda (easily verified by clicking on the link you provided to the Pravda website): “Americans never give up your guns” “Obamas Laughter” “USA Land of disposable people” “Why Americans cannot discipline their children” “The stupidity of US Foreign Policy”

And then there is my favorite- the piece that accuses the Syrian rebels of using chemical weapons against the Assad government!

Clearly, you have demonstrated extraordinary wisdom in choosing to cite a newspaper without an anti-American bias and one that we should readily be turning to for objective lessons in how we should perceive our country and our president.

Truly unbelievable.

Shame on you that you would not only use the organ of a government seeking to cast our nation in the worst possible light to further your personal anti-Obama agenda but that you would support the agenda of a government whose answer to such journalistic criticism of its own practices and policies is to simply gun down any journalist who would dare write such a piece. Going after the President is fair game for any journalist but one would hope you could manage to do so without becoming the local agent of a government that certainly does not wish us well. After all, was it not your candidate who cast Russia as our greatest foreign enemy?

I suppose the good news is that, unlike the government whose agenda Pravda is obligated to support, our president won’t sending anyone to make sure that you won’t write more clap trap such as this.

And, not for nothing, I suspect President Reagan would indeed be greatly disturbed by this – however not by the Pravda piece which would come as no great surprise to him, but that a writer such as yourself would give credibility to such anti-American propaganda.

Rick, It’s interesting that you choose to disdain the source but you aren’t able to disagree with any of the specifics. It’s easy to ridicule the New York Times, too, but even admit that occasionally it gets something right. What do you disagree with in these articles? Anyone with an objective sense of history will clearly recognize empirically that they’re both disturbingly accurate.

That would be because it is the source that is precisely the issue. While virtually all of what is contained in the Pravda article is provably nonsense (disputing each point would hardly be the material for a comment but rather an article which I might decide to do), wouldn’t you think that the author would, at the least, want to point out the bias of a newspaper that is clearly the organ of a government seeking to do damage to our own? You are right when you note that even a broken clock is right twice a day-however that is not the point. Using such a source without so much as a nod of recognition as to what the intents and purpose of the sources policies are must be suspect. Do you imagine that this author would have taken an article from an Iranian newspaper tied to its government that said the same thing and repeated it here? And if he were quoting the New York Times, as you suggest they are occasionally right, how much would you be willing to bet that he would do so without ever saying that while he traditionally disagrees with the perspective of that paper, they happened to get it right in a certain instance? The source is completely relevant.

Was anything said about American economics wrong? Were Putin’s quotes not reminiscent of Reagan? Are half of our businesses not on the Federal take? Are they not trying to take guns? Is Obama not friends with Soros, and known Communist theory supporters like Ayers and Jarrett? Is it not true that we’re hovering at a real unemployment rate (Not USBL statistic) of close to 25%. We don’t want to see it, because we can’t believe this has happened. But it has. We pledge allegiance, we, all of us are meant to uphold the constitution. But we’ve let our lawmakers erode it since 2001. What Bush did under the radar, Obama has lifted to high art and codified. Not good….. how do you think things can end?

Pravda isn’t actually Russia’s leading publication anymore, it’s a weird third-rate tabloid that no one takes seriously. Did you even bother to look at their website? The “2012 End of the World” and “Have we been visited by aliens” advertisements didn’t tip you off that the whole thing is a little bit suspect? Make fun of Obama all you want, but relying on Pravda as a source is little better than using the Weekly World News

That was without a doubt the funniest web page I have seen in a long time. I read some of the “stories”, it was not clear to that they were even actually written in English. Here is a great story…

“A sheep gave birth to a dead lamb with a human-like face. The animal was born in a village not far from the city of Izmir, Turkey. Elibol, a vet, performed Cesarean section on the animal to take the lamb out, but was horrified to see that the features of the lamb’s snout bore a striking resemblance to a human face.

“I’ve seen mutations with cows and sheep before. I’ve seen a one-eyed lamb, a two-headed lamb, a five-legged lamb. But when I saw this youngster I could not believe my eyes. His mother could not deliver him so I had to help the animal,” the 29-year-old veterinary said. The lamb’s head had human features on – the eyes, the nose and the mouth – only the ears were those of a sheep.”

What a story! The story about Mr. Obama making a “Soviet Mistake” is nothing compared to this one.

This was actually not “Pravda” but Лук (luk), the Russian version of “The Onion”.

A hugely out of proportion numbers of all Russian children adopted by Americans were tortured and murdered by their adoptive parents. The murdered received only a slap on the wrist by the US Courts who apparently view Russians as inferior race which is consistent with US superiority mentality fostered by the Nazi-like US ideology. What US does in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq, makes Hitler Waffen SS look like nice guys. How dare an American journalist criticize other countries, especially Russia, in the backdrop of all the Patriot Act and NDAA laws which make US the most oppressive fascist state in the world? US with its history of 30mln genocided Indians, simply can’t ever criticize anybody, even Hitler and Mao, because Americans committed more violations against civil rights in history than any other country. Nothing has changed in US since the days of slavery and segregation, only the police methods have become more brutal as in the suppression of the OWS movement

Let’s see. Currently, at the time of me typing this post, there have been 75,116 views of this article; far outstripping the second placed one which weighs in at 8,019 views (Going To Mars Could Damage The Brains Of Astronauts – by Alex Knapp).

Very clever, Alex. You didn’t get where you are today by being somewhere else, did you. Write a cleverly silly, perhaps controversial but ultimately nonsensical piece which you know will generate a lot of traffic, raise the piece higher in Google and earn more on advertisements.

Genius!

But, it’s not the sort of thing I would have expected from you or, indeed, Forbes.

As an intellectual position, I tend to reject ‘facts’ in favour of ‘evidence’. ‘Facts’ tend to be clung to by people desperate for certainty, and who probably have at best a partial understanding of what’s going on.

What you have provided is opinion, and flimsy and tendentious opinion at that, passed-off as ‘fact’.

But I can understand, given your position, why you’d want to do that.

The most convincing explanation for this article – the only logical, coherent one – is that you’re really an Obama supporter pretending not to be in order to increase the resolve of those who are, in the face of the shabby and ill-conceived and shallow ‘arguments’ of the opposition.

Lots of major publications run silly ads to gain revenues, and while Pravda prints articles that neither you or I agree with, it’s interesting to get their take on subjects that their readers in Russia follow which we don’t see here. For example, there are some videos attached to the article quoting Putin and various news commentators that attribute their new ban on adoptions of Russian children by Americans to numerous cases of abuse/deaths of previous U.S. adoptions. I have wonderful friends and loving parents who adopted two very fortunate Russian children, and find those reports terribly disturbing. Still, I lack any basis for challenging their reports.

If you check the advertising link on the Pravda article you will find that the English version was first placed online in 1999…the first Russian publication to go online. They also put out other language versions. They state that their monthly readership is more than 5.5 million.

These are the facts as I understand them, and my opinions as I see them.

Those were not advertisements, they were stories! Yes, I do not doubt that “Pravda” gets 5.5 million receives hits per month, as I am sure “The National Inquirer” receives even more. Nonetheless, there are no sheep with human faces and all of the other “stories” were equally preposterous. This is no different that when North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was described by the Onion, a satirical “news” paper, as the “Sexiest Man Alive” and the Chinese Communist Party newspaper Beijing Evening News ran the story as a serious piece, not recognizing that the original story was ironic and humorous.

However, I think the real story is not that you got “punked”, as the young people say, but that conservatives like yourself, and others here at Forbes.com, are so enraged by Mr. Obama winning the US presidency at all, much less twice, by solid majorities, that they will attack him in any possible way, no matter how ridiculous.

Not long after Mr. Obama came to office, he went out in public and ordered a cheese-burger at Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia. There he added some mustard to his meat sandwich, a “Dijon Mustard”. In no time at all conservatives had their undergarments in a bundle over “Dijon-gate”, the supposed faux pas of using “fancy” “foreign” mustard. Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingram, and Sean Hannity to name a few had bulging veins in their foreheads over this “scandal”. President Obama was an “elitist” for his choice. Of course it turned out that the mustard in question was actually manufactured in the United States simply using the brand name “Dijon” for marketing purposes (it is made by Kraft).

Since then there has an endless list of similarly manufactured scandals “Solyndra-gate”, “Light-bulb-gate”, “Fast-and-Furious-gate”, “Benghazi-gate” and so on ad infinitum. “Death Panels” are on their way we are told in all seriousness. Mr. Obama was going to somehow, all on his own, remove the words “In God We Trust” from US issued coins. It has been a veritable blizzard of contrived scandals, more than any human being can count.

All of this non-sense is a symptom of a much deeper problem, of how desperate and out of touch conservatives have become. The Republicans have lost the popular vote in five or the last six presidential elections and the demographic trends do not favor a reversal any time soon. Rather than look the problem in the face, they fly into a fury, like petulant children, whenever confronted with their problem. It is the evil “liberal media”, voter fraud, anything and everything that distracts them from the truth.

The “illiterate society” voted Obama in the first time in 2008, believing that he was qualified to be ON THE BALLOT in the first place and that he would back up all the promises that he made before the election. But Obama DID NOT win the 2012 election. There was RAMPANT voter fraud that netted Obama millions of votes he didn’t earn. He lost in every state that had voter ID and won in every state that didn’t. Many States’ voting results showed districts that had over 140% voter turnout with some of the districts reporting ALL of these votes for Obama–not a single vote for Romney—a statistical impossibility—and computer hackers were in court, giving evidence that they had rigged the voting machines in Ohio–a key state–to switch votes from Romney to Obama… and the Military reported a decline between 52-90% of the absentee ballots [in an election year? ..right after Benghazi? C'mon!]. Stalin said, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.” and a company in Spain with ties to Obama’s benefactor, communist George Soros, counted our American votes.